Monroe Township (Gloucester County), NJ Public Health Rules: Rodent Control (2026)

Chapter 162, Housing Standards, is Monroe Township's rental housing ordinance, and § 162-26, Other rental unit standards, carries the rodent rules in Subsection F on maintenance. Paragraph F(6) says every rental facility shall be free from rodents, vermin and insects and allows the inspecting officer or the Board of Health to require extermination and rodent proofing or vermin proofing. F(7) adds that every rental facility shall be clean and free from garbage or rubbish and other hazards to safety, with lawns, hedges, trees and bushes kept trimmed and fences kept in good repair. F(8) lets the inspecting officer, Code Official or the Board of Health order a wall or ceiling cleaned, repaired, painted, whitewashed or papered where it has deteriorated so as to provide a harborage for rodents or vermin.

Chapter 162 is enforced by the Director of Code Enforcement/Community Development and the Construction Official, who appoint a Housing Officer or Code Enforcement Officer. Under § 162-19, a written notice of violation states that the violation must be corrected within 10 days, after which the inspecting officer can revoke the certificate and prohibit occupancy effective five days from service of the order. A petition for a hearing has to be filed within 10 days after the notice is served, and the hearing starts no later than 10 days after the petition. Under § 162-24 the Township can direct abatement and charge the cost as a lien that is added to the property taxes. Section 162-25 lets the Housing Code Official issue an emergency order without notice or hearing where health is at risk.

The land use chapter adds site-level rules. Section 175-130.1 requires all site plans and major subdivision submissions to include rodent control programs phased with the scheduled progress of the development, with anticipated starting and completion dates, to control displacement of existing rodent populations onto adjacent properties. Section 175-126H(5) requires materials or wastes that are edible or otherwise attractive to rodents or insects to be stored outdoors only in containers adequate to eliminate those hazards. Section 175-137.1C requires watertight trash containers that can be covered to prevent access by rodents, birds, animals or insects, for all uses except single-family detached and two-family homes.